Caplinger Mills Historic District, Historic district in Cedar County, Missouri.

Caplinger Mills Historic District in Cedar County, Missouri, preserves one contributing site and three contributing structures tied to water power: a grist mill site, a dam, a power house, and an 1895 double-span Pratt bridge with two pony truss approach spans. The complex developed between about 1895 and 1943 at the Sac River crossing.

The district's water-power works took shape between about 1895 and 1943, when a grist mill site, dam, powerhouse and a double-span Pratt bridge with two pony-truss approach spans were built at the Sac River crossing. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

The district grew around water power on the Sac River, with a grist mill site, dam, power house and the 1895 Pratt bridge built between about 1895 and 1943. The mill ground grain into flour for local farmers, and the dam and power house later generated electricity for the surrounding area.

The site sits at Washington Avenue and the Sac River crossing, where all buildings are easy to see from the ground. A short walking route connects the four structures, making a visit straightforward without long distances.

The metal bridge was built in 1895 by the Chicago Bridge Company and still displays its original steel structure. Its two lower truss spans make it a notable example of bridge engineering from that era.